Keith Charles Flint

Keith Flint was an English singer and a vocalist of the electronic dance act The Prodigy. Starting out as a dancer for the group, he became the lead vocalist and performed on the group's two UK number-one singles, Firestarter and Breathe, both released in 1996. He was also the lead singer of his own band, Flint. Flint owned a motorcycle racing team, Team Traction Control, which won four Isle of Man TT races in 2015 and 2016, and competed in the British Superbike Championship. Flint was born in Redbridge, London, to Clive and Yvonne Flint, on 17 September 1969. His childhood was described as unhappy, and he feuded with his parents, who parted when he was young. He attended the Boswells School in Chelmsford and moved to Braintree after leaving school. Flint was described as being a "bright boy with dyslexia" and was disruptive in class. He was expelled from school at the age of 15. Flint then worked as a roofer and later enthusiastically embraced the acid house scene of the late 1980s. Flint met DJ Liam Howlett at local rave club the Barn in Braintree, Essex, and said he liked Howlett's taste in music. After receiving a mixtape from Howlett, Flint came back with great enthusiasm, insisting that Howlett should be playing his tracks up on stage and that Flint, along with friend Leeroy Thornhill, would dance to them. Flint, Howlett, and Thornhill were joined by MC Maxim Reality and became the successful electronic dance act The Prodigy. In 1996, just prior to the release of The Prodigy's third album, Flint moved from being a dancer for the group to being its frontman when he performed vocals on the hit single Firestarter; the accompanying video showcased Flint's new and soon-to-be iconic punk look. This trend continued with the next Prodigy single, Breathe, on which Flint sang lead vocals, with Maxim backing him up. The 1997 album The Fat of the Land also featured Flint's vocal contributions on the tracks Serial Thrilla and Fuel My Fire. In 2002, the non-album single Baby's Got a Temper was released, which was written by Flint. Flint did not perform vocals on the next Prodigy album— Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned (2004)—but reappeared on the Hotride (El Batori Mix), included on the Hotride single. He fronted five tracks on the band's 2009 release, Invaders Must Die. He took on additional songwriting duties for The Prodigy's 2015 release, The Day Is My Enemy, and he sang three songs on the group's most recent album, 2018's No Tourists. Flint married Japanese DJ Mayumi Kai in December 2006. They lived in a converted farmhouse in North End near Great Dunmow in Essex. They were reportedly separated at the time of his death. Flint was found dead at his home on 4 March 2019 at the age of 49. A coroner confirmed that he died by suicide as a result of hanging. A toxicology report showed that he had unspecified amounts of cocaine, alcohol and codeine in his system when he died. Flint was widely mourned by fans and fellow musicians as a pioneer of electronic music and a charismatic performer. His funeral was held on 29 March 2019 at St Mary's Church in Bocking, Essex. Thousands of fans lined the streets to pay their respects as a horse-drawn carriage carried his coffin, topped with a green microphone, to the church. The private service was relayed to fans outside, who danced and cheered to the music of The Prodigy.